Ukraine’s European integration could become one of the key factors in attracting investment in the restoration of infrastructure and the construction industry through access to specialized European Union development funds. At the same time, the state must already create conditions for Ukrainian building materials manufacturers and construction companies to participate in international reconstruction projects.
This was stated by Andriy Ozeychuk, director of the engineering and construction company Rauta, during the Infrastructure Forum, the company’s press service reported.
According to Ozeychuk, the main potential sources of financing for large-scale reconstruction projects in Ukraine are assistance from international partners, private investment and possible future reparations from Russia.
“Ukraine’s future European integration will become a powerful incentive for financing construction. It will open access to specialized EU development funds similar to those that transformed the infrastructure of Central and Eastern European countries after they joined the Union,” the Rauta director emphasized.
In his opinion, Ukraine’s integration into the European economic area will create additional opportunities for modernizing transport, energy, industrial and social infrastructure. At the same time, the effectiveness of using future financing will largely depend on the readiness of Ukrainian enterprises to compete with European companies.
Ozeychuk noted that, to increase the competitiveness of the domestic construction sector, it is necessary, first and foremost, to ensure access to long-term lending for investment projects and affordable financial resources for modernizing production facilities.
He also identified accelerating the implementation of European technical standards in construction and facilitating Ukrainian companies’ access to international financing programs as equally important tasks.
According to the Rauta executive, such mechanisms will enable Ukrainian building materials manufacturers and contractors to compete on equal terms with foreign participants in the implementation of reconstruction projects.
In particular, affordable financing for production modernization can contribute to upgrading equipment, increasing enterprise productivity and expanding the range of products needed to restore destroyed infrastructure.
The implementation of European standards, in turn, is an important prerequisite for Ukrainian manufacturers’ participation in international construction projects and the supply of products to the EU market.
The Infrastructure Forum, held on October 14, brought together industry representatives to discuss the development and modernization of Ukraine’s infrastructure. Issues of financing reconstruction and involving Ukrainian businesses in the implementation of major projects were discussed, in particular, during the event’s third session.
Rauta is a Ukrainian engineering and construction company specializing in the design and construction of industrial, commercial and residential facilities, as well as the supply of sandwich panels, steel frames, facade systems and prefabricated buildings. The company is the exclusive supplier to Ukraine of commercial construction products manufactured by the Finnish group Ruukki. Rauta director Andriy Ozeychuk also chairs the board of directors of the Ukrainian Steel Construction Center association.
CONSTRUCTION, INFRASTRUCTURE, INVESTMENT, RECONSTRUCTION, UKRAINE
